Above the streets of Chinatown, The Loft is happening

(Credit: Advertiser library photo)

Remember Detox? That cramped two-story sweatbox on the corner of Alakea and Beretania streets that not only had the misfortune of being called Detox, but it also carried the curse of the corner space: Everything that entered that location closed. Usually sooner than later.

Still, for having everything working against it, it was a haven for nighttime indie-head activity. A place where leggings and tunics were more common than Geisha jeans and Custo Barcelona tops, and where live music was at least as common as the spun stuff.

The closing of Detox, though fully expected, left a void in the SoBe club scene, but it went down with promises of a bigger, better second-generation indie hangout to come. Scenesters were told to still their hurting emo hearts, for just around the bend a utopia - one with more square footage, two bars and an actual stage - was about to be realized.

It took longer than the promises had promised (was anyone REALLY surprised, though?), but last fall brought with it the realization of the indie-emo, pop-culture-separatists, we-shun-the-masses-to-form-a-united-front haven of after-dark activity. It was called Loft. And it was good.

The Loft
115 N. Hotel St.


How to find it: It's called Loft for a reason. It occupies the second-floor space of the old Wo Fat restaurant just a few yards 'ewa of Maunakea Street on Hotel Street. A stairway to indie haven leads up from the main waiting room area. It's actually got a hanging sign above the door now, and bouncers, and since it's the only club in a block full of little boarded-up chinatown establishments, it's hard to miss at night.

Secret password: I heart the Black Lips.

What it got right: Maybe it's just us, but it seems like the folks behind Loft have learned from the mistakes of their club compatriots by making an effort to keep the space cool despite Chinatown's overworked power grid that can't take too many more air-conditioned spaces. Instead of making us suffer through the heat that inevitably ascends on a barely cooled room when 200 people start dancing, the kind-hearted people at Loft have placed fans every few feet to help circulate the air. Brilliant. Easy, but brilliant.

Besides the tolerable temperature, the club is set up ultra-lounge style with plenty of sitting surfaces (couches, chairs, ottomans in - what else? - sleek red and black) that prove what nondancers have been saying all along: Just because they're not on their feet doesn't mean they don't want to party. This one's for you, you shameless people-watching fiends.

And that lamp you bought at IKEA the last time you visited your college buddy in Oregon? We're pretty sure it's here - with 15 of its closest matches. Giant Chinese paper lanterns are in vogue, bobbing gently in the breeze created by the fans.

Dress code: Here's the thing about those crazy indie kids: They're so busy being nonconformists that they don't realize that they all look the same. Tight pants. Trendy skull tees. Nylon track shoes. And bangs. They all have bangs.

Best night: Friday night at Loft is home to Enterprise, a weekly party that welcomes every kind of musical style (indie, electro, disco punk, hip-hop), as long it's not - all together now! - mainstream. Catch local DJs (Ross Jackson, Davey Shindig, Matt Ratt, Packo Eskae), local bands (ctrl+alt+del, The Hell Caminos, The Malcognitas, Dolls Till Daylight) and acoustic sets courtesy of an indie crooner or two.

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